Door operating mechanism



Allg- 1932- c. Z'EBROWSKI 1,873,243

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 8. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 23, 1932.

c. ZEBROWSKI DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 8. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet fiverzz'or G6Q7k6 26670118675 3 Cy 0g r/zqya Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES Y noon OPERATING MECHANISM, 1

Application filed January 8, 1930. Serial No. 419,398. it I i This invention relates to new and useful improvements in door operating mechanism. One of the objects of my invention is the provision of improved door-operatingmechanism which is particularly adapted for application to garage doors whereby the entrance doors to the garage may be opened without the necessity of the operator of the vehicle alighting to manually open the doors and includes means for closing the doors through movement of the vehicle after the vehicle has entered the garage.

Another object of my invention is r the provision of door operating mechanism which includes means for maintaining the latching member in an inoperative position after the doors have been opened to admit the vehicle and also after the doors have been closed after the vehicle has entered the garage whereby the doors may be readily opened again when it is desired'to remove the vehicle from the garage.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of door operating mechanism which includes means whereby to prevent unnecessary strain upon the doors after being moved to a closed position through -the-entrance of the" vehicle to'the garage if the -vehicle should pass beyond a predetermined point necessary for closing the doors.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of dOOr operating mechanism of the above character wherein the vehicle after entering the garage will maintain the door in a closed position until it is desired to remove the vehicle from the garage at which time the operating mechanism is actuated through the tension of a spring placed under tension by the entrance of the vehicle into the garage, so that as soon as the vehicle starts to move outwardly, the tension of this spring will actuate the mechanism and move the doors to an open position toallow the vehicle to pass from the garage.

With the above and other objects in View,

the invention consists in the novel features of construction, the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

line 4+4 of Figure l; v I

Figure 5 is a detail section on the line 5o5 Figure 1 is an elevation looking at interior of a pair, of doors, illustrating my improvement' applied thereto; 1 V

mechanism; 7 V r i a Figure 3 is a transverse section through the garage looking toward the rear in the direc} tion opposite that shown in Figure 1;

. Figure 4 is a vertical sectionalview on the thereof with asmal'ler outlet door at the rear end of the garage. 7 a i This garage 1 may be of the wellknown as the operation can be easily applied to practically any type of. garage.

The operating mechanism includes a movable bar 4 which is longitudinally disposed lengthwise of the garage "and slidably mounted within suitable guides 5, attached to the upper cross beams of the garage or any other suitable supports. Connected to thebar substantially midway its length is the cross member 6 and pivotally connected to opposite ends of the member 6 are the movable arms 7, the outer ends of which are pivotallyconnected-to the inner side of the garage doors 2 and 2. These arms 7 are preferably connected to the doors 2 and 2 at the upper cross bar ofthe doors, as shown in Figure 1, soas to form a substantially permanent connection and to eliminate the strain on the weakest part of the doors.

The outer end of the bar 4 is provided with .an aperture 8, "and adapted to be engaged in'this aperture for the purpose of locking the bar a against longitudinal movement is Figure 2 is a top plan view ofnthe operating PA EN oFFICE 1 oHnRLEs znimowsxr, or inter Arms, Wisconsin metal type or of the ordinary wooden type,

the upper end of the vertically movable rod 9. This rod 9 is slidably mounted within suitable guides 10 and 10 attached to the door 2. 1

The lower end of the rod 9 is pivotally connected to one end of a bell crank 11 which is pivotally mountedas at 12 upon abracket 1-3 attached'to the door 2. The other end of bell crank 11 is pivotally connected fat..14 to the inner end of a slidable rod 15 provided with a bumper face or plate 16 at its outer end. This bumper plate 16 is used to be en gaged by the vehicle for re'ciprocating 'the' rod 15, the rod 15 imparting arocking movement to hell crank 11 so as to exert a down ward pullonrod= 9 to disengage the upper end thereof'from'aperture 8."-

Mounted upon the rod 9 isa collspring 17 disposed between'an adjustable nut 18 and bracket 10, whereby to serve as a bumper or 'shock absorber during the movement of the In order to maintainthe rod 9 inan unlocked position whilethe doorsare moved to a closed position'after the vehicle has entered- 7 the garage, a pivoted latch 19 is mounted upon door 2 and is adapted to cooperate with serrations 2O on-rod 9, as shown in Figure 1.

The latch 19 isnormally urged toward the serrations 20 by means of a coil spring. 21, one end of which is attached to the door 2 and the other end attached to the outer end of the latch.

Rotatably mounted upon one side Wall of the garage adjacent the inner end thereof gandsupportedby suitable brackets 22 is a rod '23 having attached to its lower end a U- shaped member 24, the intermediate or cross .portion, 25 of which normally extends outwardly from the side wall of the garage directly i'n the path of thevehicle, as it enters the garage whereby the usual forward bumper on the vehicle will strike the cross bar 25 for imparting a rotative movement to rod Extending laterally from rod 23 atthe upper end thereof is a tubular arm 26 adapted to receive at its outer end the arm 27 on the .coupling member 28. The arm 27 telescopes Within arm 26 and is retained in various adjusted positions by means of set screw 29.

- The coupling 28 is connected to the inner end of bar 4 by means ofa link 30, one end of which is pivotally connected to the bar 4 and the other end pivotally connected to the rod 31. Coupling .28 is slidably mounted upon rod 31 which carries a coil spring 32 disposed between coupling 28 and an adjusting nut 33 on the outer end of rod 31.

The U-shaped member 24 and arm26 are normally urged to the full line position, 7

shown in Figure 2, or in other words, this arm 26 and member 24 are urged toward the doors 2 and 2,'so that bar 4 will be moved forwardly 'to the full line position shown in Figure'2,

. i In the operation of'my improved device, the

vehicle is moved forwardly until the bumper or any part of the front ofthe vehicle engages the plate 16 and pushes inwardly on rod-15 to re ulatebell crank 11. This operation moves rod 19 downwardly, disengaging the upper end thereof from the aperture 8. 7

After i the doors have vbeen; released, the

vehicle is. backed away slightly to allow the doors 2 and 2. to open. :It will be. noted'that as soon asbar 4 is released, the tensionof coil spring 34 willmove ba-r4 longitudinally so that-thearms 7 :willforce the doors2 and 2" to an opening position,- as shown in Figure 2. As soon asthe doors have been moved to an open position, the vehicle is driven in to the garage until the front bumper thereof will engage with the crossbar 25 of the U-shaped member 24 andfurther: continued movement of the vehicle will rotate therod 23 which in turn will actuate arm 26 and move bar4 longi-- tudinally within guides 5 so as to pull the doors to a closed position.) ,7 V V At-this point, I wishto call attention to the fact that when the vehiclefengages the plate 16 and moves rod 9 downwardly, the

spring actuated latch 19 wil1 hold this rod down. out of engagement with the aperture 8,

the vehicle bearing against member 24 main- :tainingthe doorsina closed position after the vehicle has been. driven into the garage. 6

-- It will be. noted that the coil spring 32 on! rod 31 is of suflicient strength to permit the closing of thedoorsas soonas the Vehicle engages members 24,.but, if the vehicle moves beyond, so that the operating members assume a position beyond that shown by the ;-dotted lines in Figure 2, they coupling member 28 will slid onrod 31 against the tension of spring 32 so as not to exert any extraordinary strain on thedoors which would naturally 'have'a tendency to disconnect arms 7 from the doors and destroy theusefulnessof the mechanism.

Attention is directed tothe fact that member 27 is adjustably mounted within arm 26 so that the coupling28 may be adjusted to various positions withrespect to arm 26 whereby, the outer end of rod 31- will strikethe rear end of the garage, or will permit only suflicient movement of arm 26 for closing the doors, any further movement on the part of arm 26 will be against the tensionof spring 32.

It isfully believed that .I havef provided simple and inexpensive operating mechanism for garagedoorswhich can be *quickly and easily installed in, an ordinaryty'pe of garage fio whereby the doors may be quickly and easily opened without the driver of the' vehicle alighting for opening the garage and wherein the doors will be moved to a closed position after the vehicle has entered the garage, and will be maintained in a closed position until it is desired to move the vehicle from the garage.

In a great many garages, there is a possibility that there is no extra door such as shown at 3, and if this is the case, attention is directed to the fact that the ar s 7 are pivotally connected to doors 2 and2 by means of removable pins 35, whereby one of these pins may be quickly removed so that the door may be opened to allow for a persons exit at this point.

I claim:

1. In combination with a pair of swinging doors, movable means for locking said doors in a closed position, means having operative connection with the movable means and positioned upon the exterior of the doors for engagement by an object for releasing the locking means, a rotatable support-spaced from the doors, an arm projecting from the upper end of the support, means forming connection between said armand the doors, a projection at the lower end of the rotatable support and adapted to be positioned in the path of a moving object whereby the object striking said projection will rotate the rod and impart movement to the doors for moving them to a closed position, and means having operative connection with said arm for moving said doors to an open position upon release of the locking mechanism.

2. In combination with a pair of swinging doors, means for locking said doors in a closed position, means arranged upon the exterior of said doors, whereby to release said locking means, a rotatable member mounted at a point remote from the doors, a lateral arm at the upper end of said rotatable member, means forming operative connection between the outer end of said arm and said doors, a coil spring having one end connected to the arm and the other end connected to a stationary point whereby to impart a lateral movement to said arm for opening said doors upon release of the locking means, and a second lateral projection on the rotatable member beneath the arm adapted to be engaged by a moving object for closing said doors.

3. In combination with a movable door, releasably locking means for holding said door in a closed position, vehicle operated means disposed exteriorly of the door for releasing the locking means, a rotatable support arranged in spaced relation to the door, an arm projecting from said rotatable support, means operatively connecting said arm and door, a projection on said rotatable support and positioned in the path of a moving object, whereby the object striking the projection will rotate the rod and impart closing movement to the door, and means op-' VVisconsin'.

CHARLES ZEBROWSKI. 

